Even though the instructor was a mage, not a warrior, his trained eyes could still follow the exchange that had just happened.
He knew full well that Damien’s strike was clean, efficient, and brutally quick—nothing about it hinted at deceit or trickery.
Murmurs began to rise among the other students once more, spreading like wildfire.
"He actually beat Stanley..."
"In one move too..."
"Wasn’t Stanley supposed to be the strongest among us?"
"I can’t believe this..."
The air buzzed with disbelief and curiosity.
Stanley’s thoughts, however, were spinning out of control.
’I lost...? There’s no way I lost. This duel should’ve been an easy victory. He must have cheated... I’m sure of it!’
He could feel his pride cracking apart like glass. The humiliation of being defeated so easily—especially in front of everyone—burned deep in his chest.
His breathing quickened, and his body trembled slightly as anger began to drown his reason.
Suddenly, he shouted, "I can’t accept this...!"
His voice echoed across the classroom, loud and filled with venom.
He raised his sword higher, his glare fixed on Damien. "I challenge you again... to a True Duel!"
The instructor’s eyes narrowed sharply at that.
A chorus of gasps erupted from the students.
"A True Duel?!"
"He’s crazy!"
"That’s dangerous!"
Even Damien’s brows lifted slightly in intrigue, though a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Ohh?" he said, his tone almost amused. "You’re sure about that?"
He could already tell that Stanley was driven purely by pride now—logic had long since left him.
While the earlier duel had merely been a harmless spar between students, a True Duel was something entirely different.
It was an official academy-sanctioned battle, fought not with practice weapons—but real ones.
Participants were free to use their class abilities to their fullest extent, and these duels were often staged on the academy’s massive dueling grounds before an audience of instructors and students alike.
The rules were simple: fight until one party could no longer continue.
Instructors were permitted to intervene—but only when one of the duelists was on the verge of death.
And that was precisely what made True Duels so terrifying.
The possibility of death was real.
Though rare, there had been cases of students losing their limbs during the fight or losing the ability to ever stand up again.
Damien knew all of this clearly.
After all, he had played through a similar event in the game before.
In that story, Stanley himself had been the one challenged to a True Duel—and he had won spectacularly, cementing his popularity among the academy’s elites.
But this time... things were different.
This time, Damien was his opponent.
And the outcome wasn’t going to be the same.
Damien’s expression remained calm, but inwardly, he was chuckling.
’In the game, Stanley was the one who got challenged to a True Duel... and now, he’s the one challenging me to one?’ he thought. ’And so soon at that...’
[Quest "An Honourable Duel?" Completed!]
[Reward Granted: +6000 Hunter Points]
"What’s wrong?" Stanley taunted, his tone sharp and full of arrogance. "Scared?"
His smirk was wide and proud, like he was already sure about his victory in the true duel.
The instructor, still standing near the corner of the class with folded arms, turned his sharp gaze toward Stanley. His tone was even, but it carried weight.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly. "A True Duel is no joke. This isn’t like the spar we just witnessed. You know what could happen."
Stanley only scoffed, puffing out his chest as if the warning meant nothing to him.
"Of course, Instructor," he said. "I can’t stand people like him who cheat their way through victory. Don’t worry—I’m sure of this."
The crowd around them stirred, their whispers swelling louder.
"Wow, Stanley’s so brave."
"He’s really going to fight that cheater in a True Duel?"
"He’s amazing..."
The girls who had been sitting beside him earlier looked starry-eyed again, clearly captivated by his self-proclaimed heroism.
Stanley’s smirk grew, their admiration fuelling his large ego.
He turned back toward Damien, his voice dripping with contempt.
"A month," he said firmly. "That’s all I need to defeat a cheating bastard like you."
He took a step forward, raising his chin arrogantly. "Now tell me, coward... do you accept to duel like a real man—in a month?"
Damien’s brow arched slightly at the declaration, and right on cue, another soft notification appeared in front of him.
[New Quest: A True Duel]
[Objective: Win the True Duel]
[Reward: +10000 Hunter Points]
’Another quest, huh?’ he thought.
At this point, Stanley was practically handing him free Hunter Points.
He looked back at the self-proclaimed "hero," his expression calm yet mocking, eyes shining faintly with quiet excitement.
"Of course," Damien said. "Why not?"
Stanley’s confident grin faltered for a split second at how easily he accepted.
His eyes narrowed, and he turned to the instructor as if to solidify the moment, to make sure it was recorded officially.
"Then you’ll be our witness," he said quickly.
The instructor sighed, shaking his head lightly.
He could already tell this would turn into something big. But the rules were the rules—once both parties agreed, he had no authority to stop it.
"Since both of you have agreed," he said formally, his voice echoing through the quiet classroom, "A True Duel will be held between Stanley Dame and Damien Cross... one month from now."
Gasps spread through the students again, some out of excitement, others out of worry.
Stanley grinned widely, basking in the attention and the murmur of approval that rippled through the class.
His gaze flicked toward the two girls at his side, who were watching him with admiration, and his chest swelled with pride once again.
Damien, on the other hand, simply exhaled, his gaze cool as he turned slightly toward Stanley.
"What a pathetic life..." he muttered, his voice too low for even Stanley to hear.
Nonetheless, the latter noticed the pitiful expression on his face, and only saw it as Damien feeling regret for accepting the duel.
’Don’t worry... you’ll surely get put in your place.’ he thought, smiling to himself.